Who has the authority to make an arrest?

All law enforcement officers (such as police officers, county sheriff officers, investigators in a district attorney's office or an attorney general's office, and highway patrol officers) can arrest you whether they are on or off duty, in most cases. A probation or parole officer also can arrest you.

They can arrest you even if they do not have an arrest warrant if they have probable cause or good reason to believe you committed a felony. (A felony is a crime of a more serious nature than a misdemeanor, usually punishable by imprisonment for more than a year. A misdemeanor is usually punishable with a fine or short jail term.) They do not have to see you commit a felony in order to arrest you. They do, however, have to see you commit a misdemeanor in order to arrest you.

If you commit an infraction, they may ask you to sign a citation or notice instead of taking you into custody. This is a minor offense, such as a moving violation, where the punishment usually is a fine. If you sign the citation, you are not admitting guilt; you are only promising to appear in court. If you have no identification or refuse to sign, however, an officer may take you into custody.